Disclosing tenant information

Our Experts Answer:

Your management agreement presumably gives your property manager the authority to start and end tenancies. With that in mind, there is no need for you to know the names of the tenants, nor to have a copy of the tenancy agreement. An inexperienced landlord may find it tempting to establish a side communication channel with the tenant, thereby undermining the work that the property manager has done. It is understandable, therefore, that your property manager doesn’t want you and the tenant to start talking with each other.

As long as the manager is doing their job properly you don’t necessarily have a right to know who is living in your property. You have signed that right over to the property manager when you appointed them with the authority to manage the start and end of tenancies. I suggest that you talk with your property manager and try to get an understanding of each other’s position and concerns. This communication should have been established at the start of your relationship.